Conventional cable networks were originally built to deliver broadcast-quality TV signals to homes. The wide availability of such systems and extremely wide bandwidth of these systems led to the extension of their functionality to include delivery of high-speed broadband data signals to end-users in the home.
Conventional large cable networks comprise distributed video and data facilities. In a typical network, video is distributed to subscribers in geographically segmented markets via a so-called headend that services multiple hubs and nodes. Regional data centers may support multiple headends through separate fiber links. Coordination of subscriber video services and subscriber data services (e.g., e-mail, web browsing, voicemial, VOIP, etc.) is typically required for billing purposes and, increasingly, to provide cross-over services that use both video facilities and data facilities. For example, video equipment such as the so-called set top box (i.e., STB) provide subscribers access to e-mail, web-browsing, and voice services.
Receipt of telephone communication alerts (e.g., ringing of a phone indicating that some one is calling a subscriber) are not always desirable, or may not be desirable at a particular time such as when a subscriber is viewing a television program. For example, a television viewer who is enjoying playback of a selected program on a television often must choose between watching the program or answering an incoming telephone call. A call may simply be ignored, but without some knowledge of the caller, the television viewer who ignores an incoming call is assuming the risk that the call is important. A television viewer with an answering device may elect to have the call answered by the answering device and “screen” the call if the calling party elects to leave a message. However, the cable subscriber cannot be assured that the calling party will leave a message.
Service providers have attempted to deal with the conflict between viewing a television program and answering incoming telephone calls by integrating conventional caller ID services into the set-top box. For example, conventional notification technology has been deployed to enable a subscriber to receive phone call alert notifications and initiate display of caller ID messages on a display screen to provide notification to a subscriber who is calling the subscriber. As a specific example, assume that a user watches a television program. In response to detecting occurrence of a phone call, conventional technology can be used to initiate display of a phone number, and possibly a name associated with the person making the phone call, on a television screen. Accordingly, based on information about the call displayed on the display screen, the subscriber can decide whether to answer or ignore the call.